


Innocence

by TheLongRoadHome



Category: Journey into Mystery, The Avengers (2012), Thor (Comics), Thor (Movies)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-25
Updated: 2013-12-23
Packaged: 2017-12-09 11:58:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/773940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLongRoadHome/pseuds/TheLongRoadHome
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Loki is Gone. </p><p>Except, there's one mortal in San Antiguo that is more like Loki than Thor can say, and with the arrival of the Avengers, a lot of unsaid feelings, and too many questions, it's probably going to get complicated. </p><p>But maybe, just maybe, Loki is back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Little Escapism

**Author's Note:**

> This is an AU, set after the events of 'The Avengers'. It will have smut in it somewhere, whether suggestive or the whole hog, between two men, so if you don't like that sort of thing, please do not read this. 
> 
> Anyway, the song that goes with this fic is 'Innocence' by Halestorm. I had the idea before I heard the song, and heard it just before I planned to start writing. And now I can't stop writing, it's taken over!

_‘See it from the outside,_   
_Running toward the wall,_   
_See it from your blinds eye,_   
_But you don’t know me at all,’_

 

++++

 

“Another.” Thor slurred, setting the glass down on the counter with a clunk, and thought to tack on a quick “please” to the end of his sentence. The bartender sighed and shook his head slowly, but took the glass away and filled it nonetheless. The lights had long been turned off and most of the chairs were stacked neatly around the room.

Thor accepted his refilled glass like it was his closest friend. The man casually lent on the bar and lit up a cigarette, taking a quick pull before trying to catch Thor’s eye.

“You got anyone comin’ to get ya?”

Thor managed to shake his head and down his ale simultaneously, and not spill a drop.

“I dunno where you put it all. I ain’t ever seen a guy drink like you and stay upright, not in all my years. What’s yer secret?” The bartender took another drag, cigarette looking rather comical poking out from under the old grey mustache.

Thor set his empty glass down again, and looked around. The small establishment, walls lined with old Midgardian music paraphernalia and instruments, was empty save him and the barkeep and the darkness. He laughed, feeling giddy.

“I am a God, sir.” He laughed again, and managed to pull the dollar bills Jane had given him out of his pocket and hand them to the man. His companion only laughed and took the money.

“Not many guys who sit and drink alone got an ego enough to call a’mselves a god, boy, specially not your age.”

Thor thought about that, in a dazed, half-aware kind of way. “Why would that be?” He asked, feeling giddy.

“Cuz normally they got sumthin’ ta be drinking about, like old age, regrets, all that good cowboy stuff.” The bartender smirked.

Thor gave his empty glass a caress and looked into it as if it held the answers of the universe. “I may have some of that ‘good cowboy stuff’.” He hiccuped and shot a quick glance at the bartender, who just laughed it off.

“Nah yah ain’t. You’re too young kiddo. Ya look barely twenty.”

Thor shook his head. “We worked it out.” He slurred. “I am but Twenty eight in little years.”

The bartender barked a laugh. “Little years? Now I know you’re crazy kid!” Thor did not laugh with him, choosing to stare at his glass solemnly. “Look, ya really got nobody to come pick ya up? No family nearby?”

He shook his head in reply. “My family are very far away, and…” He hiccuped, and didn’t continue his sentence.

The barkeep just stared at the morose God through the cigarette smoke. “No friends near neither?”

Thor shook his head again, “None I should call on.” and slid off his bar-stool and onto his feet. He took a few tentative steps toward the door, but an odd question came to him within the drunken haze. “Does a close person dying equate to your ‘good cowboy stuff?’” He asked the man.

The bartender regarded him with a steady gaze, but didn’t reply. He took a long drag at his cigarette.

“What’s your name son?”

Thor gulped, and caught himself before he could reply with his real name.

“D-Donald Blake. Why? What is yours?” He swayed on the spot.

“Listen Don, I’mma just go get somebody. Stay righ’ there.” The bartender disappeared into a dark archway behind the bar, which Thor leant on for momentary support. He idly wondered why the man didn’t answer his questions, and wondered what some of the instruments attached to the walls were called and how easy they were to play. It felt very empty and he began to feel queasy. The room swam, and he was reminded of a spell that he had been a guinea pig for. Needless to say he had been left in bed for a long time after it had been cast. Thor shivered. Feeling cold was something he had grown used to recently. The world seemed lacking in warmth everywhere. Ironic really.

There were footsteps and a soft mumbling, which he caught the end of. “…Loads to drink, pretty harmless fella though, said somethin’ about somebody bein’ dead, don’t be surprised if he gets teary on ya, jus’ take him home.”

The bartender stepped through the arch again, and walked up to his end of the bar. A dark-haired kid, probably about seventeen or so followed him in, with light steps and a thin face. The teens eyes went wide as he saw Thor, he seemed to freeze up. The God took no notice, his vision swimming pleasantly.

“Don, this is Josh, he’s the kitchen help here, he’s gonna take you home.” The barkeep said, putting his hand on Josh’s shoulder, pushing the boy gently toward Thor in a fatherly manner.

Josh walked out from behind the bar and greeted Thor with a reserved ‘hi’, before grabbing his coat hanging from the door and helping Thor into it.

“Oh, and Don, the name’s Richard, but jus’ call me Rich, everybody else does.” The barkeep ‘Rich’ nodded at him. “And yeah, for your other question, that does sound like good cowboy stuff to me. Come back anytime.” The old man gave a smile, which made his eyes crease up, and Thor managed a small smile back, before being herded out the door by Josh.

Out in the night air, he walked toward the main road of the town without thinking. It was humid, like the world was being held in tightly around him. He still felt chilled inside.

“So, where do you live?” A polite voice cut in and made him jump from his reverie.

Thor staggered a little but kept his balance, and out in the streetlight got his first proper look at his walking companion. The boy was beautiful – pale and lanky with dark, well-combed hair and a careful mouth – especially bright questioning eyes, and though he only came up to Thor’s chest, he seemed a lot taller. He walked with measured, graceful strides and his arms close to his sides.

Thor very nearly lost himself.

So much like Loki.

Loki.

 

He turned from the teen, only offering him a grunt in response. He needed to get back now, before he went into overload. Lo—Josh, fell into step beside him, easily matching stride to his drunken stagger.

Thor looked at him from the corner of his eye: high placed cheekbones and a profile befitting royalty. Such a likeness was almost unfair. Josh looked at him and caught his eye.

“Do not follow me home.” Thor slurred, wishing he hadn’t looked.

“I’m not following. I’m escorting.” The kid said back.

They fell into silence, walking tensely along the road. Thor liked to watch as their shadows grew and shrunk with each streetlight. He felt like he was being watched and it made his skin crawl. In his drunk mind Loki was there watching him, waiting for him. The silence grated at him as they walked, the whole town seemed to give off static.

“What did Rich mean by ‘good cowboy stuff’?” Thor jumped slightly, and he looked at the boy, trying hard to walk straight. He thought about him silently, and decided that the kid was not Loki, but perhaps it would be better to tell somebody out loud – it didn’t matter who, it didn’t even matter if the person cared. Perhaps this boy would listen.

He breathed in, tongue feeling heavy. “Someone…he is dead.”

Lo—Josh’s face looked perplexed. “And that’s supposed to be a good thing?”

He shook his head. “It is only a good reason to drink.” He gulped.

The boy’s eyes glazed over slightly. “Who was he?”

Thor had to think about that one.

 

Loki.

Who was he to him? A brother? Stepbrother? Friend? Enemy? Rival? …Lover?

Thor gulped and felt pressure build behind his eyes.

“He’s…” The words failed him. They walked in silence further and he counted the lights and the long shadows they cast. The houses looked eerie and silent as they walked.

“I miss him.” Thor whispered, though Josh did not seem to hear at all. The boy didn’t say anything else, and he was grateful, as he would have surely choked on the lump that had risen up his throat.

He wondered briefly why he speaking like this to a stranger, but even if the teen hadn’t heard a word he’d said, it made him feel like Loki was close to him by just saying it out loud.

He stumbled and luckily his companion was there to regain his balance for him. Josh put Thor’s arm over his shoulders and waited until the God seemed ready to keep walking. There was reluctance in all his movements that made him interesting to Thor, like some kind of flighty animal.

“You’re not the cleverest guy, are you?” Josh said abruptly, nearly making Thor trip again as they continued walking, though again the boy held him steady by the arm slung over his shoulders. Thor barked a laugh. That would have been the sort of thing Loki would have said, except in less uncertain terms.

“I prefer to spar than strategise.” Thor chortled drunkenly.

“You can fight? Where are you from? Your accent is different.”

“Yes, I am a warrior from space.” Thor flashed him a smile, which he hoped made him look as if he were joking. Josh raised an eyebrow sceptically and surveyed him, but must have passed it off as the drink talking.

“So what do you do, spaceman?”

Thor licked his lips. “I am a farmer.”

“That’s not a bad joke about crop circles is it?” Josh said un-amused.

“What are crop-circles?” Thor asked back, looking honestly quizzical.

Josh gave him the eyebrow again.

“And you just work with Rich?” Thor slurred, trying to make conversation.

“No, only in the evenings. I’m meant to be at school during the day.”

They fell into silence, though the Asgardian felt a strange fuzziness about him.

“Where do you live?” Josh asked again.

“With Friend Jane in a small Cara of Vans. That one.” Thor broadly pointed way down the road to the science centre, and a little truck that sat tacked to the corner of the building on the edge of town. He got another funny look from his walking companion.

“I didn’t know you lived there. I go past you on the way to the library.” Josh said, half dragging Thor along now and struggling under the weight.

“It is not my usual lodgings.” Thor burped quietly and tasted strong beer resurface.

Josh fell totally silent at that, and the God could see many questions running through his head. He sucked on his teeth as he thought, making his cheekbones seem more pronounced, and the little frown made him look almost comical in the streetlight.

“Are you gay?” The teen suddenly asked, looking Thor dead in the eye.

“No, that is why I drink” Thor hiccupped.

Josh screwed up his nose and bit back a scathing remark about intelligence. “Not happy-gay, homosexual-gay.”

“What is homosexual gay?” Thor asked. He got an incredulous look as his answer.

Josh had to take in a sharp breath of air to stop himself from being rude. “Was the person who died your partner? You said ‘he’, so I thought you might be the type of guy who likes other guys.”

Thor thought about that. He and Loki had never really been battle ‘partners’, except sometimes in sparring practice or in pulling pranks on the courtiers of Asgard. Bed partners they had well been, and he had more than just ‘liked’ Loki, but he supposed they couldn’t be true partners since they had grown apart.

Thor gave Josh his best answer. “Perhaps, we were, for a little while. You do not like other men?”

Josh stiffened under Thor’s arm and didn’t reply, choosing instead to walk a little faster and put more effort into pulling Thor along. He found the boy unbearable; his mannerisms were so like Loki, before the misery and trickery had set into his brother’s eyes. Clever, witty, shy little Loki. Thor grinned mirthlessly. He felt like stroking the boy’s cheek and telling him to smile. They staggered over the road and stopped outside the truck. Thor’s bed lay out waiting for him, complete with bottle of water on the floor next to it. Plainly Jane didn’t want to be disturbed by a drunken God banging around in the caravan for a glass of water, so sleeping outside it was. They had even moved the lounger down so he didn’t break his neck trying to climb the building whilst drunk, to get to the bed on the roof of the old car showroom.

“Thank you.” He sloppily shook Josh’s hand; the Midgardian custom still made no sense to him and being tipsy really didn’t help him figure it out any further. He fell onto the lounger and pulled the sleeping bag over him, too far gone to bother getting into it or to take his coat off. His companion stared a moment, and Thor’s eyes fell shut.

Josh didn’t really know what to think, whether to have respect for the man or think he was a total moron. Still, he shouldn’t leave a drunk guy defenseless in a cold desert at night, so he unzipped the sleeping bag and positioned it over Don, as quietly as he could, the man seemed to have dozed off already. He made a quick check and tucked the corners of the cover under his feet so it didn’t slip off. The idiot was already breathing heavily, but he tucked in the top around Don’s shoulders anyway, and sat on the side of the lounger watching him for a moment. He was about to turn and leave, when the man next to him sighed, already caught in a dream.

“Smile…Loki.”

Josh did smile, and left smiling with the peaceful image of a sleeping idiot in his head. It stayed with him on the way home and right through the night. He had the same dreams he’d always had; dreams of grand golden landscapes and great structures and regal people. Of immortals and gods, and great weapons and mighty beasts. The sleeping man came back to him again and again though. He thought pretty hard about it. He knew he’d seen Don’s face before in a dream, but…

Try as he might, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d heard he name Loki somewhere before too.

 

++++


	2. A Little Meeting

_‘I’ve been here too many times before._

_And your tears don’t mean a thing.’_

++++

 

“Look Barton, do you know anyone else who’s capable of conjuring a storm out of his ass?” Tony gulped down his scotch as he finished, screwdriver motioning toward Fury with his free hand, which the rest of the room assumed to be a form of Stark humour. Fury massaged the bridge of his nose.  
  
Clint merely shrugged in response. “We’ve been keeping an eye on him, our informant says he just got drunk last night. The storm’s just the hangover.”

Natasha scoffed and rolled her eyes. She watched Steve become increasingly uncomfortable. “You _know_ how much it takes to get Thor drunk firsthand, Barton. I’m not so concerned as to _who_ is causing it, that’s a no brainer.” She shot a look at Stark. “What I’m wondering, is why.”  
  
Rogers grimaced, remembering Clint trying to flirt with an innocent barstool after Thor had successfully drunk them all under the table; luckily, Tony was of the drunken inclination to pass out the moment he reached his limit. It had just been rather unfortunate that Tony had chosen to do so on Steve's lap. It had taken him a while to get the slobber out from his uniform. Hell, even Natasha had looked sufficiently sloshed and lord knew the woman could handle her Vodka. Bruce had started to go green, but luckily it was from his need to be sick and not the other guy popping in for a quick tipple himself.

He coughed. “Thor’s been in that town four months, and if he hasn’t caused any trouble yet, why would he now? Maybe he just needs a break from being all…godly.”

  
Steve looked at Natasha, reasoning that she had the most level head, and metaphorically speaking, the biggest balls out of all of them, and would probably be the one to come up with the most eloquent solution. She shrugged and stayed silent.

“Hell, he’s still a danger, even if he’s out of the way of most of civilization. We will keep monitoring him, and if these storms keep happening, or escalate in any way, I’m sending you guys in.” Fury stated, no room for arguments.  
  
“Damn, talk about storms in teacups.” Tony muttered. Fury shot him a Cyclops death glare, and like that the meeting was over, but not without some jibes about Barton‘s proposal to the barstool.

 

++++

 

Josh woke, and found himself smiling at the ceiling. He found it strange that the ceiling was not taller or grander, somehow. There had been a huge storm last night, yet he found it’s noise comforting and his dreams had been happy and bright, though he couldn’t remember much of any of them. A great tree and a peaceful balcony. Though he did remember Donald Blake, smiling, and found only that his curiosity had grown, despite his wariness of the man who was almost undoubtedly mad. He hoped Don had not slept outside during the storm.

He got up ready for breakfast, and almost unconsciously started plotting a trip to the library, past the science station and the little caravan sat beside it.

 

++++

 

Thor lugged his tools from under the caravan, head pounding in protest. He felt antsy, frustrated, and wished he could just fall straight back asleep, for there in his dreams was Loki, younger and innocent. He remembered his face as clear as day, and marvelled at his brain’s ability to fill in the gap he couldn’t remember between going home from the bar, to getting into bed, all with Loki’s face etched across it. Even his dreams taunted him. It made him want to destroy things in frustration, and long for the bottle again. He looked furtively about the town, hoping and dreading Loki would stride from one of the buildings and smile at him.

Jane watched him from the doorway of the caravan, a little frown marring her face. She was worried about him, he knew that, but he could not find it within himself to stop whatever it was he had gotten into. She was like Sif, a close friend and a great ally, he had love for her of sorts; she was beautiful, intelligent and kind, and had taught him a great many things, and he was sorry he could not love her in quite the same way she loved him. It troubled him, and he merely wanted to forget it all. Forget Loki, stop longing for things that were beyond his grasp.

Of course, being at home made it notably worse. He looked upon Asgard in all it’s beauty and splendour, and every corner met him with an old memory of Loki. It made him feel soul-sick, to know that he and his bright golden home had turned his brother’s heart so black.

Jane stepped down from the caravan and handed him some toast, which Thor ate quickly without much thought. Jane ran her fingers through his hair and tied it back in a little stubby ponytail to prevent it from becoming matted while he worked. They didn’t talk much anymore, and Jane knew better now than to ask what he was thinking. She used to chastise him over his appearance, how long he hadn’t shaved for, how the frown he always wore now would give him wrinkles. Thor knew she meant for the best, but it irked him, with her constant probing of what had made him so unhappy. He couldn’t talk about it.

Loki’s memory filled him with guilt, and anger. He could still not decide truly whose fault it was; his own for taunting and rejecting Loki, or Loki’s, for twisting the truth to suit his own needs. But no matter what, the pain was greater than the blame. Loki was the voice inside his head, telling him contradictory things, whispering sweet untruths in his ear, and he missed him all the more for it. He had been told that it would heal with time, this pain-without-wound, and yet it seemed to only fester.

Jane had found him a job working in the fields to try and take his mind off things and earn his drinking money, but the green and gold of the land were like little souvenirs of his brother. He loved the crop, something that he could see coming to fruition, it was calming, but made him sad, and regretful. He wondered often what could have been had he put the same care into Loki.

He said goodbye to Jane and began walking before his mind spiralled beyond his control. At this time in the morning the little town was alive, many cars and people were lining the streets, and there was someone having a conversation close to him, which he paid no attention to. The sun pricked his face as he walked.

“Hi.”

Thor licked his teeth and breathed out, brows knitted.

“Don?”

Thor felt a little niggle at the back of his mind, something he was forgetting, but he kept walking.

“Hello?”

Wait. Don. Short for Donald. That was his Midgard-name. He stopped and turned, still frowning, and felt his head swim.

He was seeing things, he had to be.

_Loki._

By the nine.

_Loki._

No, wait, too short, different, younger… _still_ _beautiful._

Thor shifted, and nodded to the teen, watching the boy squint in the sun. Beautiful eyes, such that should always have shelter so they never need squint. What was his name? He was so desperate to say Lo—

“Josh.” Thor said, half in greeting, half to remind himself.

‘Josh’ raised an elegant eyebrow, mouth in a thin line. “Are you okay, Don?”

Thor felt a familiar lump rise in his throat, and could only tersely nod.

Josh wanted to laugh awkwardly. Donald Blake seemed so different from last night, like he was wound up. He reasoned that it could have been a hangover, but even saying his name out loud had felt awkward…wrong…like the name didn’t suit the person. It was true, ‘Donald’ did not suit. He suddenly felt like asking where the man came from again. He saw a few tools slung over the man’s back; farmer’s tools, at least he knew that part about his job was not a lie.

“Going to work?” He asked, feeling very small now that Donald was stood at his full height and not drunkenly slouched over. His shoulders, muscle, everything about his stature from his jaw line to tied blonde hair and stubble was powerful, like a vision of a roman god or something. Even his voice had a deep rumble to it. The tools seemed to weigh nothing to the man. Thor tried not to shift under the boy’s scrutinizing gaze.

“Yes. And you are going to school?” Josh immediately looked away, trying to think up some excuse for not being where he should be, and Thor smirked, showing brilliant teeth. “Ah, you are not going today.” He nodded, almost approvingly. He and Loki would often skip their tutoring sessions in favour of escaping the castle and exploring their lands, it felt only right that they boy do the same.

Josh looked back up, and knew instinctively that Donald Blake would not be telling anybody that he was skipping out again, anytime soon. He gave the man a tiny grateful smile. The God nodded, noting that much like Loki, the boy smiled much more with his eyes than he did with his mouth. Thor continued toward the edge of town, and Josh automatically found himself following.

“Which ranch do you work at?” he asked quietly.

“Farm of Collingwood.” Thor felt rather uncomfortable, and could not put his finger on the reason why.

“Why do you speak like that? All old English?” Josh stared questioningly.

“I do not hail from here.” Thor said, hoping that the boy would ask less awkward questions.

Josh smirked, clearly expecting that response, and decided to let it drop. “Are you coming back to the bar tonight?”

“Perhaps. Would you like me to come back?” Thor asked.

Josh just stuttered, and mumbled something about being at the library for the rest of the day, before nodding at Thor, his dark, neat hair blowing awry in the breeze, and walking swiftly back down the street. Thor sighed amusedly, watching him go. It was interesting to see his brother so uncomfortable, especially when—Wait. Stop.

He was thinking of the boy as Loki.

He was different, Midgardian, innocent.

He was not Loki; he was not the same as Loki.

Josh disappeared around the corner of the street, but not before looking back at him. Thor watched him linger a moment, staring back, and felt a pang within. He shook his head, feeling sick with himself, and stormed down the road. He barely registered any of his surroundings, reaching the ranch without looking up.

The whole day he worked tirelessly, surprising even the well practiced farm hands, and possibly scaring a few after lifting a fully grown cow and placing it safely down at the other end of the ranch without so much as getting out of breath. But his mind was on other things; his thoughts had a magnetic pull back to Lok—Josh, the thought that plagued him most is whether he would find the boy at the bar that evening. He wondered idly, all the way back to Jane’s caravan, when the Eagles Inn had become his favourite bar in town.

He thought on it the entire way home, barely noticing the area around him. Drifting from road to road as if in a daze, but mind working overtime. Thinking was never something Thor had been good at in the first place. Without feeling barely a moment pass, though it must have been nearly half an hour since he left the ranch, he came to the realisation that he’s walked himself back to the caravan completely unconsciously.

Thor laid his tools back down and sat on the lounger. He was still torn, but his heart seemed resolved to go to the bar this evening, despite he protests of his head. Every moment and he was halfway between smiling and shouting. He wondered if this was all just an overreaction, perhaps he should take a better look at Josh and see if he really did look like Loki. Perhaps the boy was just a test of his metal that fate had thrown his way, and if it was he was failing the test quite miserably. A smile graced his face, probably because currently, he felt oddly happy at failing to keep his distance. He knew it was not the real Loki, but the boy gave him comfort, a sense that all innocence was not ruined or lost in the universe.

Jane came out the doors to the lab and looked at him, catching him grinning.

“You look happy, did something good happen today?” She asked, walking over. Thor shifted, but did not stop smiling.

“It is not good, but it pleases me.” Thor said, looking back up at her. Jane sat beside him, and gave him a nudge with her shoulder.

“Go on then, tell me.”

Thor laughed, and decided he would not tell her. It would be quite unfair to admit he had found someone who had managed to help him with his bad mood, when Jane had been trying for months with no result.

“Would you accompany me for a drink tonight?” He asked her, still smiling.

“Oh.” She pouted. “I promised Darcy I would watch a movie with her tonight…”

“I shall invite Darcy and Eric along with us.” Thor grinned. “It has been a long time since we made merry together.”

Jane just nodded excitedly, giving Thor a blinding smile, got up and jogged to her caravan. Thor guessed she was going to look for appropriate attire for the evening, even before Darcy had agreed to join them. Thor got the feeling somehow, that she would, and that it would fall into place.

 

 

++++

 

Josh walked down the pathway, trying very hard to keep himself calm. He was being followed again, and he was still two blocks away from the bar. He ran five different detour plans through his head, but each of them relied solely on the fact he could outrun his pursuers. He’d stayed a little too long at the library; he had been hoping that if he came out later he’d have less chance of running into the people currently following him, and more chance of running into Donald Blake. _How unfortunate._

It was dark, and the streetlights did nothing but make the town look sinister. Stuck in the dark with very unfavourable circumstances. He rounded the corner by the old car showroom, having already examined the building and the truck beside it, and knowing that nobody was home to help him. He pinned his hopes on the bar and the main street. He wouldn’t get picked out if there were people.

There was no one to witness him around the street corner.

Josh shivered, feeling quite lost and alone and took off at his full speed, hoping the corner would give him a head start on his followers. He made another sharp left into a back alleyway, as a shortcut to the bar, and hoped that the idiots had not seen the path he’d taken, though he was sure they could guess. He heard shouts behind him and pounding of feet. The alleyway was long, with wood-construct houses, and had the added advantage of absorbing sound. He darted between the trash and bins laid out, made another turn into the street parallel to the main one, and took a quick look down the alleyway. His heart pounded in his ears. They were there, five burly college boys, all mildly drunk and playing hunter; somewhere between snarling and sniggering. He wished it were a laughing matter. This street was nearly empty too, and Josh cursed, needing to run one more block without them catching him. He legged it past an empty merchants van and quickly found a near-unnoticeable pathway between two shops barely big enough to be called a rat hole, let alone an alley. He threw himself down it, seeing the neon lights glow from around the corner of the exit, signalling he was on the ‘bar strip’. The footfalls were close behind him now, he could hear panting and the back of his neck felt like it was being breathed down. The green light got brighter, and Josh shouted, was close enough to reach out and—

A shadow blocked his path as he came careering out the alley. It turned in a split second and arms ensnared him. He panicked, and kicked, scrambling, though the arms did not let up. He let out a strangled scream until the shadow stilled him.

“Stop it, Loki! Calm!”

Don. He was here? He was at the bar? Josh momentarily forgot himself and stilled. There were two women and another man with him. He recognised one woman. They all looked surprised. Donald Blake gently let go. The footsteps came to a loud end behind him, and he turned, backing up into Thor unconsciously.

The god surveyed the boys. All about the same age as Lo—Josh. All tall and stocky, close shaven, save one with a blonde pointed patch of hair running from the back of his skull to the middle of his forehead, wearing garish red, blue and white sweaters.

“Jocks.” Darcy whispered to Jane, though Thor heard it loud as a shout.

“Aw man, little fucker found his friends.” The blonde kid spat.

Josh grimaced and looked away, going slightly pale. Thor frowned at that. Josh didn’t seem the type to back down quite that easily, and he knew that from how persistent the boy was with his questions.

“What is going on here?” He asked authoritatively.

Josh looked up, going ever more pale, and noticeably wincing. The ‘jocks’ swaggered forward, the leader puffing out his chest. He almost wanted to laugh. No amount of beefing up would have given the guy the foot and a half and 60 kilograms of extra sheer muscle he’d need to be as big as Don.

“We’re just takin’ what’s ours big guy. Problem?”

Thor looked him up and down, a frown marring his face, and then he stopped, face turning to a smirk, smirk turning to a chuckle.

“Very funny. I suggest you return to your homes now.” Thor smiled.

Josh’s eyes bulged. The idiot really was as stupid as he thought, nobody laughed at five steroid-crazy assholes and expected not to get punched.

The ringleader licked his lips with a strange relish and flexed his muscles, the four others stalked forwards, all looking like bloodthirsty wolves. “You got a deathwish?”

Thor gave Josh a gentle nudge out the way, and with nothing between himself and the circling boys, he felt a bit more comfortable. Jane immediately grabbed Josh’s wrist and pulled him without much force, behind her, further out of the danger zone.

“No, is that something I should have?” Thor asked, honestly quizzical.

Josh and Darcy put their hands to their faces and seemed to think the same thing. Thor had meant it as an honest question, but to the teens it would just sound like he was stepping up to their challenge. Idiot.

A grin was all the warning Thor got, before two of the boys charged at him. He spun sideways and grabbed the back of one’s neck, pushing him to collide with the other’s head. With the extra power behind Thor’s push, they were both knocked out on contact. The ringleader looked ready to charge too, but stopped and sized Thor up again incredulously.

“It is time you returned to your homes.” Thor said, looking at the three remaining lads. “Would you be so kind as to take your friends home?” Thor said, standing rock still, muscles looking ever more prominent under his t-shirt. The blonde guy’s mouth fell open, and he stuttered dumbly.

Thor nodded and added a quick thank you, before turning and heading for the bar. The others followed, and Josh was ushered along with them by Jane and Darcy, but watched as the three boys picked their two unconscious friends off the floor, all the while looking after Thor warily. Josh wanted to laugh back and taunt them, but knew better. It would make next time worse.

He turned his attentions back to Donald Blake, who looked strange under the neon. His back rolled as he walked. The made their way into the bar, and were greeted by a rather sceptical looking Rich leaning on the counter. The three he didn’t know all waved at Rich. Perhaps this was where he had seen the woman before.

“Josh, there’ya are, was beginning to worry.” He said. “And Don, nice ta see ya again, get home alright last night?”

Thor laughed and shook the barkeep’s hand, chatting idly. He motioned for the others to take a seat at one of the tables, to which Jane and the other two strangers did, but Josh stayed standing, feeling awkward for not knowing the three, and not wanting to go to the bar in case he got questioned by Rich.

“So, uh, Josh, is that right?” The older woman asked, standing up again and holding out her hand over the restaurant table. “I’m Jane, by the way, and this is Darcy and Eric.” Josh uncertainly took her hand and shook, giving a short nod to the other two. “Would you like to join us?”

“I work here, so thank you, but I should get going.” He bowed his head at her, noticeably fidgety. Jane had to give him credit, for somebody who had just been chased through the street and was obviously uncomfortable with talking to them, his voice was very smooth.

He walked over to the bar where Rich and Don were still in conversation, and Don immediately turned his attention to Josh.

“So, where have you been kiddo?” Rich asked humourlessly. Josh looked down in panic, not having a suitable lie thought up to tackle this situation, and for some reason shot a pleading look at Don, who was appraising him quietly.

“I must apologise, my friend, Josh and I fell into banter and the time got rather ahead of us, please forgive him, it was my fault.” Thor smiled at the bartender good naturedly, and Rich shrugged it off.

“Ah, no problem then, just don’t like not knowing if he’s okay. Tell ya what kiddo, take the night off, not much on anyway.” Rich smiled at Josh, who sighed internally having just had the heat taken off him. “Go join your new friends for a drink, and introduce me properly later.”

Thor smiled, and listed the drinks for himself and the other three, and attempted to hand money to the bartender.

“No worries tonight Don, it’s on me, and just have a good time.” Rich shot a look at Josh, and turned a smile on Thor, who thanked him profusely and carried the drinks over to the table.

“Come and make merry with us.” Thor boomed, which Josh supposed meant that he wanted him to join them. He sat down awkwardly on the remaining stool, looking around at the faces. Darcy stared at him unashamedly, her head cocked to one side. Jane was trying not to stare, but he could see her eyes keep flicking between himself and Don. Eric was the only one concentrated wholly on his drink.

“So, how did you two meet?” Jane finally asked after an awkward silence. Thor finished a great gulp of his drink and put his hand on Josh’s shoulder.

“I met him after my ale last night, he was kind enough to help me walk home.” Thor grinned, Josh blushed and Jane winced; she knew how much alcohol it took to get Thor that drunk, and hoped he hadn’t made too much of a fool himself.

“I hope he didn’t cause you too much trouble, and that you got home okay.” She laughed uncomfortably.

He gave her a polite little smile in reply. “I live here so it’s no problem.”

“Oh, I thought you lived nearer to the library, I always see you in there.” She said.

Darcy snapped her fingers. “Thought I recognized you, you walk down our road a lot.” She smiled at him.

So that’s where he had seen Jane before, the library. Well at least they had books in common.

“I didn’t think Rich had any kids though,” Jane half-asked, half-stated.

“I'm fostered.” Loki said politely. Jane coughed awkwardly, obviously at a loss for what to say.

Thor was still smiling at him though. “So who were your friends?” Thor motioned toward the alley they had been outside earlier. The god watched Josh’s face fall as he mentioned it. He averted his eyes.

“Classmates.” He mumbled.

“They do not seem like good 'mates' to me.” Thor mused. “Are they the reason you were not at school today?” The teen’s body froze and he gave Thor a sideways look. Thor merely laughed in reply. “What did you do to get them to pursue you with such vigour?” He made it sound like he was asking for a fantastic tale of heroism. Jane wanted to hold his mouth shut; she knew that’s exactly what he was asking for.

“We came into a little…disagreement. They like picking out people who are, lets say, different.” Josh paused. “I thought it would be fun to get my own-back by dyeing their clothes pink and hanging them off the top of the school.” He finished quickly.

There was a moment of silence, and then the others broke into laughter.

“Very good, but surely they would not go to such efforts just for some garments?” Thor rumbled.

“Uh, well, they found out it was me from surveillance cameras. They thought it would be a good idea to put me in a gym locker and padlock it.” Josh shifted.

“And?” Darcy asked, enjoying the story.

“I got them expelled when the people cutting the padlock off discovered all the steroids and other substances they’d been bringing to class.”

“Wow,” Eric said, chuckling. “That’s not playing fair, blaming their own mistakes on you. I like the idea of dying their stuff, shame you didn’t get that guy’s hair too, that would have looked great pink.”

Josh gave them a sly smile. “That would have been my next target.”

“Do they chase you a lot?” Jane asked, smiling but obviously a little worried.

“Only a few times, mostly between classes.”

“I can see why you’d rather be in the library then. What books do you read?”

And with that they were off, Josh found Don’s friends so intelligent, so intensely likable, they sat for hours, talking about science, myth, and swapping stories and jokes. Thor watched Loki—Josh, with avid interest, the way the boy sat gracefully, his back straight and arms tucked in, the way his lips curved when he smiled. It was like his brother was sat beside him once more. Jane began explaining vastly complicated astrophysics, and he watched as Josh’s jaw eyes grew wide with wonder. The drink made Thor feel fuzzy and contented; happier than he’d felt in months, and yet the pain – that nagging feeling sat in the pit of his stomach.

There was a natural pause in conversation as Jane finished explaining. Josh seemed to draw back, and looked at Thor quizzically.

“So, how did you guys all meet? As far as I’m aware, Don’s not a scientist…” He was about to add that he wasn’t even sure the man was from the same planet as them, but decided that was rude.

Jane automatically cringed, understanding the boy’s confusion, Thor’s type and theirs were very different. They couldn’t really explain how they had met without explaining Thor’s origins, and that would make things complicated for all of them, since Thor’s stay was conditional on that he keep a low profile and S.H.I.E.L.D heard nothing of him in any shape or form.

Thor looked at Josh, seriousness pervading his face.

“They hit me with their truck.”

Josh immediately laughed, and when he realized Don wasn’t joking, looked surprised at the other three.

“It was an accident!” Jane pouted

“Tasering him wasn’t” Darcy added, and the two women shared a sardonic look.

Josh laughed, and so the conversation went on; How Darcy, Jane and Eric had met, what they were researching, all the different theories they hoped to explore, and through it all, Josh shot glances at Don.

The man was laughing at all the jokes that went between them, clearly listening and trying to understand the scientific concepts. His smile made the room feel brighter, and his hair still looked like a mane, despite being tied back. The more Josh looked, the more vibrant the man seemed, the less and less ‘Donald Blake’ seemed to suit him.

“…so we were looking for storms or phenomena that could prove the theory, and that’s when we met Donald.” Eric laughed, accent easy to understand.

Josh smiled, and turned to Don, meaning to say something else, but instead having the first question that came to his head come out of his mouth.

“So what’s your real name?”

There was a lengthy pause, and Darcy muttered something that sounded a lot like ‘uh-oh.’

“What?” Jane asked, slowly.

Josh was still looking at Donald, feeling intensely uncomfortable.

“Well, you didn’t answer to Don this morning, and every time you guys say his name you look like you were about to say something else.” Josh added quickly, “It doesn’t suit him, either…” He coughed awkwardly, and looked back at ‘Don’.  

Jane shot a panicked look at Thor, urging him to say something clever, but the God was staring only at Josh, an unreadable emotion on his face.

Thor put on his deepest tone of voice. “You do not know me, and that information is classified.” Thor winked at him, and Josh laughed at the unexpected reply and the pleasant rumble in ‘Don’s voice. Jane and the others seemed to visibly relax, and laughed cautiously along with them.

They talked some more, having disengaged the situation, and the tension dissipated, until they were once again making jokes and small talk until they were the only ones left in the bar. Eric wriggled out of his seat, currently on uneven terms with the ground due to his consumption. Jane got up with him and helped the scientist put on his coat. They managed to all stumble out the door together after wishing Rich a goodnight, and Jane, Eric and Darcy each gave Josh a hug.

When it was Thor’s turn; “Could I talk to you for a second?” Josh asked politely.

Jane’s knuckles went white, but Thor smiled and motioned them to go on. Obviously she did not trust him not to expose himself.

“I will be back later, please go on and I shall catch up.” Thor waved. The three had no choice but to retreat, Darcy whispering loudly and conspiratorially to Eric as they walked away, and Josh watched them as they walked. They kept looking back. They made it so obvious that something was not right. He felt the connection there, between himself and the man before him. Like magnetism.

“Honestly, Don, who are you really?” Josh asked quietly. Thor looked honestly surprised. “And…How did you--”

“Did I not tell you that you should not follow me home?” Thor asked him, looking oddly pained.

“Yes, but--”

“This is why. I am everything I have told you I am, but this name.” Thor said.

“Why Loki?” Josh asked, feeling horribly like the ground was breaking underneath him. He felt like screaming, crying, the feelings were illogical and alien to him, like he was feeling them for someone else.

Thor froze, and looked up.

“Where did you learn that name?” Thor whispered.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all enjoyed it! Please leave me a comment with your thoughts. Constructive criticism if you please!


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